Repotting Stanhopea Orchids

[geoblue]

Beautiful greenhouse and set up- nice potting area! I am jealous!
I would try cocoa fiber lining in a very open wire basket..... my Stanhopea has done very well in it for 8 years... oh the liner is filled with a standard bark mix.... and Stanhopea leaves are always ridged.......the wood basket may not give enough room for the bloom stem to push out.......they are really big..... Note the relative size of the flower stem in the overall photo... the flowers are 9 inches across on this one... it can only manage one stem at a time and only 3 flowers per stem.... oh, and they stay open for 3 days... not the usual 2 on this one. Its a 20 inch diam basket. I just wish I knew what specific cross it was.... I got it at a show and they said oh- its a cross with that common mexican yellow one... whatever that meant! oh well, its a beauty....

[Dawn-oh]

Wow, I learned alot here! Thanks so much for taking the time to post the step by stpes with photos. I should do that too with my half dead Phaius! (not really...) Thanks alot!
Dawn

[etex]

Thanks Bruce for the step by step tutorial! Really appreciate you walking us through the process! I have a stanhopea wardii and just got a basket, and thanks to your inservice,I feel a lot more comfortable with repotting the stanhopea in the basket!

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Thanks Bruce for the step by step tutorial! Really appreciate you walking us through the process! I have a stanhopea wardii and just got a basket, and thanks to your inservice,I feel a lot more comfortable with repotting the stanhopea in the basket!

No worries, Diane. I am glad that my post can help. I hope you will share photos of your process if possible too.

Cheers,
BD

[jowben1]

I just put my 2 Stans. in 4" wood baskets. Should I switch to a more open basket as they get bigger.(Geoblue points out that the openings aren't large enough to allow flowering).

[jowben1]

Great tutorial. I have been wondering though, are the spaces in the wood baksets large enough to allow flowering ? (There was a recent article on the forum, where the grower used a more open wire basket, saying the spaces weren't big enough to allow it to flower).

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Great tutorial. I have been wondering though, are the spaces in the wood baksets large enough to allow flowering ? (There was a recent article on the forum, where the grower used a more open wire basket, saying the spaces weren't big enough to allow it to flower).

Oh sure, the plant spikes through the bottom of the wood baskets and sometimes the sides. Plenty of room.

Cheers,
B D

[opaline]

Have 3 stanhopeas on way and never grew them before. Thanks Bruce for the tutorial and should help me bypass some tragic mistakes. Esp with the bloom spike.